…setting the table.

The holiday season is finally upon us! And with that said, many of you are probably in the midst of planning your holiday get togethers with family and friends over the next few weeks. Setting the table for these occasions can sometimes seem a little troubling, especially when you want to have the perfect place settings for your guests and are not sure where to start. Say no more! Let’s get started..

Prior to this Thanksgiving, I had never been involved in the table setting aspect of this holiday. I usually travel to my family’s houses to celebrate with them and the table has already been set. This year, however, I decided to spend my holiday in Stamford, and it was now my turn to wow our guests with a beautiful table setting.

The first thing you need to do is iron your linens. Taking the time to complete this step is crucial to displaying a table that looks good enough to be in a magazine. The minimal touch of NOT having wrinkles in your linens makes a HUGE difference. So whip out those ironing boards, crank some holiday tunes, and steam away! I topped the linens off with a gorgeous table runner that added just a little pop to the plain white tablecloth.

Creating the place setting itself is a matter of taste. You can utilize chargers to sit behind your plates which will enhance the richness of your place setting, or you can simply add a decorative small plate onto your main dish like I did here. Add your silverware to the setting (remember, forks on the left, knives on the right!) after you polish it. Doing this will give it that extra gleaming appearance.

Next I folded my cloth napkins and added a festive napkin ring to finish them off. If you are unsure how to fold a napkin properly, there are thousands of tutorials online. I used this one here to get a feathered effect, perfect for resembling turkey feathers on Thanksgiving.

Now it’s time for the fun part. I love adding natural decorations to a table for the centerpieces. You can see that I scattered fresh cranberries across the runner, added some pumpkins and a little touch of greenery and dried hydrangeas. The combination of these elements makes the table feel elegant but approachable.

Add your glassware of choice and you are ready to go! The important thing about designing your table is to have a good time with it. The holidays are about enjoying the extra time we get to spend with our families, not stressing about minor details. These quick steps to a gorgeous holiday table setting allow your table to look great without you losing your mind about perfection.

I hope you have a wonderful holiday season this year! Stay tuned for a month of holiday themed posts, including a delicious treat coming up on #foodiefriday!